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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
December 10, 2013
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA" Genocide and the 'national interest'
By Jeff Bachmann
Dec 10, '13
December 9 marked the 65th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, the groundbreaking United Nations document that declared genocide to be an international crime. The anniversary provides an opportunity to look at the United States' record in preventing genocide around the world. That record is dismal.
~snip~
The most frequent explanations for America's failure to prevent genocide concern a lack of national interest or political will. Both have indeed been influential. But a more honest account would acknowledge the United States' own complicity in backing genocidal regimes.
It's time for the United States to examine how its own foreign policy promotes genocide, and take the actions necessary to curb it. These include making clear assessments of when genocide is occurring or about to occur - regardless of whether it is perpetrated by its friends or foes - and granting jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the body designated by the resolution to hear "disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application, or fulfillment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide".
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution - formally called the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide - in 1948, and the law entered into force in 1951.
DISPATCHES FROM AMERICA: Genocide and the 'national interest'
http://atimes.com/atimes/World/WOR-01-101213.htmlDISPATCHES FROM AMERICA" Genocide and the 'national interest'
By Jeff Bachmann
Dec 10, '13
December 9 marked the 65th anniversary of the Genocide Convention, the groundbreaking United Nations document that declared genocide to be an international crime. The anniversary provides an opportunity to look at the United States' record in preventing genocide around the world. That record is dismal.
~snip~
The most frequent explanations for America's failure to prevent genocide concern a lack of national interest or political will. Both have indeed been influential. But a more honest account would acknowledge the United States' own complicity in backing genocidal regimes.
It's time for the United States to examine how its own foreign policy promotes genocide, and take the actions necessary to curb it. These include making clear assessments of when genocide is occurring or about to occur - regardless of whether it is perpetrated by its friends or foes - and granting jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the body designated by the resolution to hear "disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application, or fulfillment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide".
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution - formally called the Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide - in 1948, and the law entered into force in 1951.
December 10, 2013
Syria sarin report blows holes in US claims
By Victor Kotsev
Dec 10, '13
The United States nearly went to war over the use of chemical weapons in Syria a few months ago - and then backed off, ostensibly swayed by Russia's initiative to have the Syrian government's chemical stockpile shipped out and destroyed - but those who had been saying all along that the White House version of the story was highly problematic just received a major boost from Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
On Sunday, Hersh, who previously exposed the American atrocities at My Lai during the Vietnam War and in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, published a lengthy report in the London Review of Books [1] charging that US President Barack Obama and his top officials had mislead the world with their statements, most notably in two respects: when they claimed that they had strong evidence implicating the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an August 21 chemical weapons attack near the capital Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians, and when they claimed they had no evidence that any of the rebel groups in the country had any chemical weapons or expertise.
Hersh sourced some of his information to "recent interviews with intelligence and military officers and consultants past and present" and described how, in the wake of the August attack, the Obama administration "cherry-picked intelligence to justify a strike against Assad". The White House fed a carefully manipulated story to the public and the media, Hersh asserted, comparing this process to how both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War started.
He reported that despite what was implied by American officials on several occasions, the US had no advance warning of the attack. Several important intelligence sources that had previously provided sensitive information about the Syrian chemical weapons sites, including a sophisticated sensor network operated jointly with Israel, were either countered by the Syrians or simply did not detect any activity. Instead, the American intelligence community started frantically sifting through immense volumes of stored communication intercepts after the attack took place, looking above all for ways to implicate the Assad regime.
Syria sarin report blows holes in US claims
http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-01-101213.htmlSyria sarin report blows holes in US claims
By Victor Kotsev
Dec 10, '13
The United States nearly went to war over the use of chemical weapons in Syria a few months ago - and then backed off, ostensibly swayed by Russia's initiative to have the Syrian government's chemical stockpile shipped out and destroyed - but those who had been saying all along that the White House version of the story was highly problematic just received a major boost from Pulitzer-prize winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh.
On Sunday, Hersh, who previously exposed the American atrocities at My Lai during the Vietnam War and in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, published a lengthy report in the London Review of Books [1] charging that US President Barack Obama and his top officials had mislead the world with their statements, most notably in two respects: when they claimed that they had strong evidence implicating the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in an August 21 chemical weapons attack near the capital Damascus that killed hundreds of civilians, and when they claimed they had no evidence that any of the rebel groups in the country had any chemical weapons or expertise.
Hersh sourced some of his information to "recent interviews with intelligence and military officers and consultants past and present" and described how, in the wake of the August attack, the Obama administration "cherry-picked intelligence to justify a strike against Assad". The White House fed a carefully manipulated story to the public and the media, Hersh asserted, comparing this process to how both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War started.
He reported that despite what was implied by American officials on several occasions, the US had no advance warning of the attack. Several important intelligence sources that had previously provided sensitive information about the Syrian chemical weapons sites, including a sophisticated sensor network operated jointly with Israel, were either countered by the Syrians or simply did not detect any activity. Instead, the American intelligence community started frantically sifting through immense volumes of stored communication intercepts after the attack took place, looking above all for ways to implicate the Assad regime.
December 10, 2013
Huge news: Hawaiian mayor signs GMO ban into law
Published December 6, 2013 | By Ocean Robbins
It’s official. The mayor of the island of Hawaii, Billy Kenoi, has signed bill 113 into law. This bill prohibits biotech companies from operating on the island, and it bans farmers from growing any new genetically altered crops. (The papaya industry, which has more than 200 farms on the island, is exempt from the bill.)
Hawaii is joining Mexico, which last month banned (on an interim basis) the planting of all genetically engineered corn, and Italy, which in July became the 9th European country to ban planting of Monsanto’s GMO corn.
Monsanto and its allies are trying to convince you and I and the rest of the American public that the case is settled and GMOs have been proven safe. But counties and nations around the world are banning them. And a group of 230 scientists from around the world, including Dr. Belinda Martineau, who helped commercialize the world’s first GM food (the Flavor Savor tomato), recently joined together to sign a declaration that they: “deplore the disinformation over the safety of GMOs.” They add: “Claims that there is a consensus among scientific and governmental bodies that GM foods are safe, or that they are no more risky than non-GM foods, are false.” (Read the scientist’s statement in full here.)
Do you think GMOs should be labeled? If you do, you are far from alone. The vast majority of people in the United States would like to see the country join 64 other n
Huge news: Hawaiian mayor signs GMO ban into law
http://www.foodrevolution.org/blog/gmo-news/Huge news: Hawaiian mayor signs GMO ban into law
Published December 6, 2013 | By Ocean Robbins
It’s official. The mayor of the island of Hawaii, Billy Kenoi, has signed bill 113 into law. This bill prohibits biotech companies from operating on the island, and it bans farmers from growing any new genetically altered crops. (The papaya industry, which has more than 200 farms on the island, is exempt from the bill.)
Hawaii is joining Mexico, which last month banned (on an interim basis) the planting of all genetically engineered corn, and Italy, which in July became the 9th European country to ban planting of Monsanto’s GMO corn.
Monsanto and its allies are trying to convince you and I and the rest of the American public that the case is settled and GMOs have been proven safe. But counties and nations around the world are banning them. And a group of 230 scientists from around the world, including Dr. Belinda Martineau, who helped commercialize the world’s first GM food (the Flavor Savor tomato), recently joined together to sign a declaration that they: “deplore the disinformation over the safety of GMOs.” They add: “Claims that there is a consensus among scientific and governmental bodies that GM foods are safe, or that they are no more risky than non-GM foods, are false.” (Read the scientist’s statement in full here.)
Do you think GMOs should be labeled? If you do, you are far from alone. The vast majority of people in the United States would like to see the country join 64 other n
December 10, 2013
CIA officers given 'non-official cover,' often posing as business executives, tried to collect intelligence on terrorists. The NOC program reportedly has had few successes.
CIA's anti-terrorism effort called 'colossal flop'
By Ken Dilanian
December 8, 2013, 6:01 a.m.
WASHINGTON — Several years ago, a senior officer in the CIA clandestine service attended a closed-door conference for overseas operatives. Speakers included case officers who were working in the manner Hollywood usually portrays spies — out on their own.
Most CIA officers abroad pose as U.S. diplomats. But those given what's called non-official cover are known as NOCs, pronounced "knocks," and they typically pose as business executives. At the forum, the NOCs spoke of their cover jobs, their false identities and measures taken to protect them. Few said much about gathering intelligence.
A colleague passed a caustic note to the senior officer. "Lots of business," it read. "Little espionage."
Twelve years after the CIA began a major push to get its operatives out of embassy cubicles and into foreign universities, businesses and other local perches to collect intelligence on terrorists and rogue nations, the effort has been a disappointment, current and former U.S. officials say. Along with other parts of the CIA, the budget of the so-called Global Deployment Initiative, which covers the NOC program, is now being cut.
CIA's anti-terrorism effort called 'colossal flop'
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-cia-spies-20131208,0,3603017.story#axzz2mzQubcbsCIA officers given 'non-official cover,' often posing as business executives, tried to collect intelligence on terrorists. The NOC program reportedly has had few successes.
CIA's anti-terrorism effort called 'colossal flop'
By Ken Dilanian
December 8, 2013, 6:01 a.m.
WASHINGTON — Several years ago, a senior officer in the CIA clandestine service attended a closed-door conference for overseas operatives. Speakers included case officers who were working in the manner Hollywood usually portrays spies — out on their own.
Most CIA officers abroad pose as U.S. diplomats. But those given what's called non-official cover are known as NOCs, pronounced "knocks," and they typically pose as business executives. At the forum, the NOCs spoke of their cover jobs, their false identities and measures taken to protect them. Few said much about gathering intelligence.
A colleague passed a caustic note to the senior officer. "Lots of business," it read. "Little espionage."
Twelve years after the CIA began a major push to get its operatives out of embassy cubicles and into foreign universities, businesses and other local perches to collect intelligence on terrorists and rogue nations, the effort has been a disappointment, current and former U.S. officials say. Along with other parts of the CIA, the budget of the so-called Global Deployment Initiative, which covers the NOC program, is now being cut.
December 10, 2013
This Stock Has Collapsed: Warm Water Cancels Shrimp Seasonhttp://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/12/09-0
by Abby Zimet
12.09.13 - 12:07 PM
For the first time in 35 years, fisheries officials have recommended shutting down the 2014 Northern shrimp season in the Gulf of Maine, where water temperatures have been running about 5 degrees warmer than the previous hundred year average. They cite a "collapsed" stock, adding, "Three successive years of recruitment failure and continuing warm temperatures indicate poor prospects for the near future." Lobster may be next, possibly followed by moving to Planet B. No, wait....
“Decisions like this one show how fishermen are on the front lines of the battle against climate change.This is not a nebulous, maybe-someday-in-the-future problem." — Michael Conathan at the Center for American Progress.
This Stock Has Collapsed: Warm Water Cancels Shrimp Season
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/12/09-0This Stock Has Collapsed: Warm Water Cancels Shrimp Seasonhttp://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/12/09-0
by Abby Zimet
12.09.13 - 12:07 PM
For the first time in 35 years, fisheries officials have recommended shutting down the 2014 Northern shrimp season in the Gulf of Maine, where water temperatures have been running about 5 degrees warmer than the previous hundred year average. They cite a "collapsed" stock, adding, "Three successive years of recruitment failure and continuing warm temperatures indicate poor prospects for the near future." Lobster may be next, possibly followed by moving to Planet B. No, wait....
“Decisions like this one show how fishermen are on the front lines of the battle against climate change.This is not a nebulous, maybe-someday-in-the-future problem." — Michael Conathan at the Center for American Progress.
December 10, 2013
Scarborough Marsh in southern Maine.
One of Nation's Key Ecosystems Being Lost at Staggering Rate
- Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 by Common Dreams
The nation's coastal wetlands are being lost at a staggering rate, a recent report shows.
Wetlands, sometimes referred to as nature's "kidneys" for their ability to filter runoff, play an increasingly important role in the face of climate change because they can help buffer storm damage.
Yet from 2004-2009 wetland area in the coastal watersheds of the U.S. dropped by over 360,000 acres, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detail in their report (pdf). That amounts to an annual loss of over 80,000 acres, a 25 percent-increase since the agencies' previous reporting period.
The report looked at coastal wetlands of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf, as well as the shores of the Great Lakes. The Gulf coast was hardest hit, suffering 71 percent of the total estimated loss during the 4-year period.
One of Nation's Key Ecosystems Being Lost at Staggering Rate
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/12/09-5Scarborough Marsh in southern Maine.
One of Nation's Key Ecosystems Being Lost at Staggering Rate
- Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 by Common Dreams
The nation's coastal wetlands are being lost at a staggering rate, a recent report shows.
Wetlands, sometimes referred to as nature's "kidneys" for their ability to filter runoff, play an increasingly important role in the face of climate change because they can help buffer storm damage.
Yet from 2004-2009 wetland area in the coastal watersheds of the U.S. dropped by over 360,000 acres, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) detail in their report (pdf). That amounts to an annual loss of over 80,000 acres, a 25 percent-increase since the agencies' previous reporting period.
The report looked at coastal wetlands of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf, as well as the shores of the Great Lakes. The Gulf coast was hardest hit, suffering 71 percent of the total estimated loss during the 4-year period.
December 10, 2013
Surveillance Is Theft: World's Leading Authors Protest NSA
by Abby Zimet
12.09.13 - 11:52 PM
Calling it "a stand for democracy in the digital age," 560 of the world's most renowned writers, including five Nobel prize winners, have signed a petition condemning state surveillance and urging the U.N. to create an international bill of digital rights. The statement by authors from 81 countries, which is being published globally in over 30 newspapers and can be signed by the public, says the surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden violates privacy, compromises freedom of thought and undermines the fundamental right of all humans to remain "unobserved and unmolested."
"A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity, our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space."
In recent months the extent of mass surveillance has become common knowledge. With a few clicks of the mouse the state can access your mobile device, your e-mail, your social networking and internet searches. It can follow your political leanings and activities and in partnership with internet corporations, it collects and stores your data and thus can predict your consumption and behaviour. The basic pillar of democracy is the inviolable integrity of the individual. Human integrity extends beyond the physical body. In their thoughts and in their personal environments and communications all humans have the right to remain unobserved and unmolested. This fundamental human right has been rendered null and void through abuse of technological developments by states and corporations for mass surveillance purposes. A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space.
Surveillance violates the private sphere and compromises freedom of thought and opinion.
Surveillance Is Theft: World's Leading Authors Protest NSA
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/12/09-5Surveillance Is Theft: World's Leading Authors Protest NSA
by Abby Zimet
12.09.13 - 11:52 PM
Calling it "a stand for democracy in the digital age," 560 of the world's most renowned writers, including five Nobel prize winners, have signed a petition condemning state surveillance and urging the U.N. to create an international bill of digital rights. The statement by authors from 81 countries, which is being published globally in over 30 newspapers and can be signed by the public, says the surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden violates privacy, compromises freedom of thought and undermines the fundamental right of all humans to remain "unobserved and unmolested."
"A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity, our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space."
In recent months the extent of mass surveillance has become common knowledge. With a few clicks of the mouse the state can access your mobile device, your e-mail, your social networking and internet searches. It can follow your political leanings and activities and in partnership with internet corporations, it collects and stores your data and thus can predict your consumption and behaviour. The basic pillar of democracy is the inviolable integrity of the individual. Human integrity extends beyond the physical body. In their thoughts and in their personal environments and communications all humans have the right to remain unobserved and unmolested. This fundamental human right has been rendered null and void through abuse of technological developments by states and corporations for mass surveillance purposes. A person under surveillance is no longer free; a society under surveillance is no longer a democracy. To maintain any validity our democratic rights must apply in virtual as in real space.
Surveillance violates the private sphere and compromises freedom of thought and opinion.
December 10, 2013
#ReclaimPublicEd: With actions in over 60 cities, parents, students, and teachers demand an end to "corporate reform" policies
Movement Rises to Kick 'Corporate Reform' Out of Public Schools
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 by Common Dreams
Students, teachers, and community groups are launching coordinated marches, town hall meetings, and teach-ins Monday in over 60 cities across the United States, demanding an end to the austerity, standardized testing, privatization, and union-busting they say is gutting public schools nationwide.
Billed as the largest yet national day of action to reclaim the promise of public education, and organized by racial and economic justice organizations and labor unions in cities across the country, the series of events aims to introduce a counter-narrative and political push-back to the corporate-backed "education reform" platform that has dominated policy throughout the presidential terms of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
"We need to put the public back into public education," said Kia Philpot-Hinton, Philadelphia parent and organizer with the 32,000 member organization Action United, in an interview with Common Dreams. "Corporate reform is not the way. We need to focus on the needs of the children and make sure every child has a quality education."
The coalition says Monday's show of unity is part of a growing movement against the nationally coordinated and top-down policies epitomized in high stakes, standardized testing programs like Common Core, as well as mass public school closures, privatization, and education worker lay-offs in Chicago, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. Such policies devastate all students, critics charge, hitting poor students and communities of color the hardest. According to a WBEZ Chicago report from March, at least 80 percent of the Chicago students affected by school closures and consolidations are African-American, and 87 percent of schools being shut down are majority African-American.
Movement Rises to Kick 'Corporate Reform' Out of Public Schools
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/12/09-4#ReclaimPublicEd: With actions in over 60 cities, parents, students, and teachers demand an end to "corporate reform" policies
Movement Rises to Kick 'Corporate Reform' Out of Public Schools
- Sarah Lazare, staff writer
Published on Monday, December 9, 2013 by Common Dreams
Students, teachers, and community groups are launching coordinated marches, town hall meetings, and teach-ins Monday in over 60 cities across the United States, demanding an end to the austerity, standardized testing, privatization, and union-busting they say is gutting public schools nationwide.
Billed as the largest yet national day of action to reclaim the promise of public education, and organized by racial and economic justice organizations and labor unions in cities across the country, the series of events aims to introduce a counter-narrative and political push-back to the corporate-backed "education reform" platform that has dominated policy throughout the presidential terms of both George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
"We need to put the public back into public education," said Kia Philpot-Hinton, Philadelphia parent and organizer with the 32,000 member organization Action United, in an interview with Common Dreams. "Corporate reform is not the way. We need to focus on the needs of the children and make sure every child has a quality education."
The coalition says Monday's show of unity is part of a growing movement against the nationally coordinated and top-down policies epitomized in high stakes, standardized testing programs like Common Core, as well as mass public school closures, privatization, and education worker lay-offs in Chicago, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. Such policies devastate all students, critics charge, hitting poor students and communities of color the hardest. According to a WBEZ Chicago report from March, at least 80 percent of the Chicago students affected by school closures and consolidations are African-American, and 87 percent of schools being shut down are majority African-American.
December 10, 2013
Tech giants call on U.S. to limit surveillance: ‘This undermines the freedoms we all cherish’
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, December 9, 2013 7:35 EST
Eight leading U.S.-based technology companies on Monday called on Washington to overhaul its surveillance laws following revelations of online eavesdropping by fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, AOL and LinkedIn wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress calling on Washington to lead the way in a worldwide reform of state-sponsored spying.
“We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer’s revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide,” the letter said.
“The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual — rights that are enshrined in our Constitution.
Tech giants call on U.S. to limit surveillance: ‘This undermines the freedoms we all cherish’
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/09/tech-giants-call-on-u-s-to-limit-surveillance-this-undermines-the-freedoms-we-all-cherish/Tech giants call on U.S. to limit surveillance: ‘This undermines the freedoms we all cherish’
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, December 9, 2013 7:35 EST
Eight leading U.S.-based technology companies on Monday called on Washington to overhaul its surveillance laws following revelations of online eavesdropping by fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden.
Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo, AOL and LinkedIn wrote an open letter to President Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress calling on Washington to lead the way in a worldwide reform of state-sponsored spying.
“We understand that governments have a duty to protect their citizens. But this summer’s revelations highlighted the urgent need to reform government surveillance practices worldwide,” the letter said.
“The balance in many countries has tipped too far in favor of the state and away from the rights of the individual — rights that are enshrined in our Constitution.
December 10, 2013
Bill Clinton tells Brazil: U.S. shouldn’t spy on your economic data
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, December 9, 2013 15:05 EST
Former US president Bill Clinton, currently on a visit to Rio de Janeiro, said he opposes economic espionage on Washington’s allies such as Brazil.
“We should never collect economic information under the pretext of security,” Clinton said in an interview published Monday by O Globo newspaper.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was furious to learn via leaked US intelligence documents that the US National Security Agency (NSA) snooped on her communications, that of state-run oil giant Petrobras as well as on emails and telephone calls of millions of Brazilians.
Rousseff responded by calling off a scheduled state visit to the United States in October and publicly reprimanded Washington at the UN General Assembly.
Bill Clinton tells Brazil: U.S. shouldn’t spy on your economic data
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/09/bill-clinton-tells-brazil-u-s-shouldnt-spy-on-your-economic-data/Bill Clinton tells Brazil: U.S. shouldn’t spy on your economic data
By Agence France-Presse
Monday, December 9, 2013 15:05 EST
Former US president Bill Clinton, currently on a visit to Rio de Janeiro, said he opposes economic espionage on Washington’s allies such as Brazil.
“We should never collect economic information under the pretext of security,” Clinton said in an interview published Monday by O Globo newspaper.
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was furious to learn via leaked US intelligence documents that the US National Security Agency (NSA) snooped on her communications, that of state-run oil giant Petrobras as well as on emails and telephone calls of millions of Brazilians.
Rousseff responded by calling off a scheduled state visit to the United States in October and publicly reprimanded Washington at the UN General Assembly.
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